Building and home automation systems involve the control and automation of various devices found in a home or office such as lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, and home appliances. Home automation systems typically include switches and sensors connected to a central hub, which may be referred to as a gateway. The gateway is used to connect the various devices found in a home to the cloud. The devices may be controlled by a user interface that is integrated into a wireless device such as, for example, a smartphone or tablet computer. For example, a user may indicate that the lighting in a particular room or area of the house should be brightened, dimmed, or turned off using the interface of the wireless device.
In another approach, various devices may be connected to a device that controls devices based on voice activation. Specifically, the devices may connect to a hub. The hub is connected to a voice-activated smart speaker that detects the user's voice and analyzes the user's voice in order to determine a particular command or request. The smart speaker is connected to the cloud. A user may use verbal commands to complete a task. For example, a user may dim, turn on, or turn off the lights in a particular room of a house using voice commands. However, the microphone of the smart speaker only has the ability to detect voice commands within a limited proximity. Therefore, if a user wishes to control all of the devices within his or her home, then a separate smart speaker may be required for each room, which can become costly. Furthermore, the provider of the smart speaker may charge the user to access the cloud.